Prepare to surrender to power of music's rhythm and join us for a special opening reception on Saturday, July 21st, as we celebrate not one, but two new exhibit openings at the Fullerton Museum Center.

"Lowdown on the Uproar: Leo's Electric Basses," and "Lay Down the Boogie: OC in the Disco Era" will commemorate two very different musical innovations. "Lowdown on the Uproar" focuses on Leo Fender's electric bass revolution, which started in 1951 right here in Fullerton. It changed popular music forever. "Lay Down the Boogie" will feature Disco-era music, clothing, and memorabilia while examining the cultural impact of Disco music and dance. The exhibit hours on opening night are 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Attendees will enjoy food, live entertainment, a curator's talk and more. Phyllis Fender and John McLaren from G&L Musical Instruments will open the exhibit as guests of honor. A special, "after hours club," will be staged in Studio 301 at the Museum Center from 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Admission to the opening reception is $15 for the general public and free to museum members. The Fullerton Museum Center is located at 301 N. Pomona Avenue, east of Harbor Boulevard, in Downtown Fullerton.

Further information about the exhibits or related programs may be obtained by calling the Fullerton Museum Center at 714-738-6545.

Persons requiring special accommodations to view the exhibit or attend the opening reception are asked to notify the museum staff prior to coming to the Fullerton Museum Center.

"Lowdown on the Uproar: Leo's Electric Basses"Adam Clayton from the legendary Irish rock band U2. Mike Dirnt from the energetic American punk rock band Green Day. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, funk and hard rock's most acrobatic performer. John Paul Jones, multi-instrumentalist and member of the innovative and influential English rock band Led Zeppelin.

Perhaps a foursome not to be found on the back nine enjoying a round of golf together, but each of these rock musicians, bassists all, have entertained fans around the world while playing a Fender Precision Bass, electric music pioneer Leo Fender's first fully electric bass guitar.

When the Telecaster, Fender's first solid-body electric guitar, proved to be a success, he turned his attention towards a fully electric bass. He had the finished product – the Precision Bass – in hand in 1951. Music was never to be the same.

The Precision Bass rounded out what would soon be known as the "rock 'n' roll combo," adding a driving force behind electric guitars and drums. As Fender’s partner Don Randall once said, "When we go the bass where it could compete in volume with guitars and drums, well, then we had something." The stage was literally set for the music revolution of the 1950s and 1960s.

The electric bass, perhaps Fender's biggest coup, had an immeasurable impact on music. This exhibition will showcase the instruments he brought to the world: Fender, Music Man, and G&L basses. It will follow the evolution of the instrument from its birth through the early 1990s.

"Lay Down the Boogie: OC in the Disco Era"Influenced by funk, Latin, and soul music, Disco is a form of dance music often featuring soaring vocals and a steady beat. Experiencing its greatest popularity in the mid- to late-1970s, Disco represented something of a cultural reset, an escape from the harsh reality and turmoil that America experienced through war and cultural protest during the 1960s.

Where once everything was questioned, in Disco almost nothing was questioned. Come see what was happening in OC during the disco era.

Persons requiring special accommodations to participate in the classes are asked to notify the museum staff when registering.